“I didn’t know Coach Thompson at all. Not personally,” he said, according to azcentral sports’ Bob McManaman. “But I know the impact that he’s probably had on those young men. Being a product of a single-parent home – my mom worked all the time at the post office – and if it wasn’t for my Pop Warner coaches, to be honest, I don’t know if I’d be here today.”

He spoke of two of his Pop Warner coaches and how they impacted him more than just with football. They would pick him up, they made sure he was eating and also talked to him about how he was performing in school.

“So I know the kind of impact those coaches have and I know he has done the same, just being a Pop Warner coach. So I felt inclined to reach out to his wife and again, it was just on my heart, so that’s what I wanted to do.”